In the weirdest animal-related IR story since a spy-bird was captured and eaten by suspicious Egyptians (http://www.weirdir.com/1/post/2013/09/bird-diplomacy-and-intrigue.html), the Afghan Taliban are claiming that they have captured a US military dog and are holding it as a POW.

The Taliban released a video showing the dog looking somewhat bewildered as the Taliban showed off its special vest which they said held a GPS locater. This has led the Taliban to conclude that the dog is actually a spy - according to the Washington Post, one of the men in the video proclaims, “Allah gave victory to the mujahideen! Down with them, down with their spies!”

US military officials have stated that one of their dogs is currently missing. To add to the confusion, the British military say that the dog is one of their own, belonging to the Special Air Service (SAS).